Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Makes New $461,000 Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE LAD traded down $1.70 on Friday, hitting $290.81. 514,559 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 311,745. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $322.99 and a 200-day moving average of $342.28.

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Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company's Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.